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Saturday, 22 December 2012

The questions that niggled me after 'Life of Pi'

What is wrong with our culture is that it offers
us an inaccurate conception of the self. It depicts the personal self as existing
in competition with and in opposition to nature. [We fail to realise that]
if we destroy our environment, we are destroying what is in fact our larger
self. (Freya Matthew)

Watching the film is one thing and dealing with the questions that the film triggers is another. For me, films are another means to reflect and ponder. Well, I know that films for some, are only entertainment but for me even the entertainment paves way for some critical questions.

Even while reading the book, my mind was filled with an avalanche of questions about the role of man in the circle of life. If I take a minute and scan the media that attacks me from all corners, I can see that the human being is stamped everywhere. That the human is only a part of the web of life is nowhere to be seen or felt. The human being is the most important of all the species and it is his/her existence that matters. Well, these questions make the biopic Life of Pi important for me. This struggle between the human and the wild is what makes the narrative interesting. Couple of years ago, I read (I don't remember where exactly) that if the entire human race was taken out of the planet, nothing would alter but if the species of bees no longer existed, then the whole earth would face dire problems. Well, that is the exalted human for you!

I must mention my area of study - Ecocriticism, here. When I was fortunate enough to be introduced to Ecocriticism, I learnt that humans matter but not to the extent that I had imagined. It was but natural for me to imagine that the whole Universe revolved around the human species. I was sadly mistaken. I had never before thought that there would be another perspective - the other angle of seeing the human as just another specie in the food cycle.

It is for this reason that I cannot dismiss animals as species with 'only' five senses. If man/woman has six senses then that sixth sense is being perpetrated in doing the many things that are widely splashed all over the media today. If that is the sixth sense that we proudly proclaim to have been bestowed with, then I will be happy as a specie with that minus one sense.

With that one extra sense, we are creating havoc, glorifying it and unabashedly advertising it. When Pi's father tells Pi that what we see in the animal's eye is but an expression of ourselves, I thought he was quite true and pragmatic. We always like to see our projection of expression in others and other species. I don't negate that animals have their own sense of perception of relationships and all but at the same time I don't think that I can transfer my subjective feelings as the animal's. When Pi was battling Richard Parker in the vast and open ocean, he was exhibiting his true character - the constant struggle between two different species. It serves us fine to see animals in their cages - tame, placid and exotic but out in the wild, the scenario is a different one. It is these revelations that make the book by Martel a readable one for me. In the film, these aspects weren't captured in their entirety. It couldn't have been for these are questions and thoughts that are complex to be filmed and viewed. Perhaps these issues of realising the self were the questions that were also haunting Martel's mind.

When one realises that one is but a part of the entire system of life, one fails to attach the BIG self-importance to one's self. Wait, now don't get me wrong. I am no way talking about the love that one possesses for oneself! Well, this post was always meandering in my head after viewing the film and here I have tried to give the meanderings thoughts a coherent presentation.

I would like to hear your thoughts on this irrespective of whether you have read/watched Life of Pi.

Maybe I will leave you with this post until Christmas, so here's wishing you and yours a wonderful time of giving, sharing and loving.

14 comments:

There are times when a book is made into a movie, some of the essence is lost. There are very few that match their books. As far as this one is concerned, the scene where Richard Parker walks off into the wild without so much as a second look at Pi, is the defining moment.

I have seen the book on the Internet but I haven`t read it nor have I seen the movie.Now I am curious Susan :) Merry Christmas to you and your family and thank you for your continious support this year. Have a blessed day!

I interpreted the book as man's struggle to tame what is purely animal within himself and reach an elevated state, a more human(e) way of approaching life. I felt he had to embrace that part of himself and then it left without a struggle or so much as a glance. I think that was the awakening of wisdom, of true peace and acceptance of life. I really enjoyed this book. It offered an opportunity for reflection and, of course, interpretation based on our own perceptions.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday Susan. And may the New Year inspire many, many thoughts for you to process here on your blog. Joy.

I have not watched the movie or read the book...Though I'm certainly intrigued in doing so after reading this article. I definitely think when we realize that we are one with this beautiful and incredibly complex web of existence, reality shifts into perspective, and empathy and compassion erupt into our consciousness...sometimes uncomfortably so.I pray you and your family have a wonderful Christmas.

I enjoyed the book as well as the movie. That is why I could connect to some of the points that you have stated. The scene where Richard Parker kills that goat brought to him - that left a poignant message about each creature having its own code built into it and we can;t change it anymore than a tiger can change its stripes. The irony is that human beings are born to be humane and today that is what they are not. They are turning wild and wilder and behaving like beasts. The day that line finally blurs between man and animal will not be far. Who will conquer whom? When gadgets conquer human beings, will it be like the extinction of dinosaurs? Complex gadgets are enslaving us. Families dont spend time with each other. One person is texting, other person is on playstation and then another is on the computer - we are becoming slaves of technology. Till we ceases to exist.

Dear Susan, I am totally fascinated by the preview of this movie and can not wait to see it.;)Stopping by to wish you a wonderful Christmas and a wonderful Holidays with your loved ones. Thank you for all your lovely comments and visits in the past year.:)xoxo

"Couple of years ago, I read (I don't remember where exactly) that if the entire human race was taken out of the planet, nothing would alter but if the species of bees no longer existed, then the whole earth would face dire problems. Well, that is the exalted human for you!"

Wow, that does put a lot into perspective, doesn't it!? :)

"what we see in the animal's eye is but an expression of ourselves, I thought he was quite true and pragmatic."

That reminds me of these verses from the Bhagavad Gita:

"The alone see truly who see the Lord thesame in every creature, who see the deathlessin the hearts of all that die. Seeing the sameLord everywhere, they do not harm themselvesor others. Thus they attain the supreme goal."(13:27-28)

I definitely think the world would be a lot more peaceful if we didn't see ourselves as above animals, but as animals..for we are human animals. Some say the only thing that separates us from other beings is our capacity to reason..It seems like all too often we misuse this gift of reason.

those were very poignant observations but I am afraid I am unable to contribute to the discussion since I have not either read the book nor seen the movie. But you have made me want to do it. Thank you.

When I watched the movie I was so lost in how the story was perfectly written.. I never got to the deeper meaning of the movie. I was just very amazed at how any story can be made believable. The power of imagination and the ability to create a world with words...!

Your post made me look at it in a very different way. I am curious to read more on the same lines.

When I watched the movie I was so lost in how the story was perfectly written.. I never got to the deeper meaning of the movie. I was just very amazed at how any story can be made believable. The power of imagination and the ability to create a world with words...!

Your post made me look at it in a very different way. I am curious to read more on the same lines.

It is so hard for me to find the attention to sit through a movie! I am often disappointed and find myself critiquing everything so I probably will never see this one. Interesting thought about bees and humans. that's what we get for being on top of the food chain, like in a pyramid, remove one rock and...bang! it goes down. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Looking forward to your posts in 2013